


Dinner Time Is Nice No Matter What Age

by RDJWINCHESTER1



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Anal Sex, Bathes, Derek Morgan Needs a Hug, Dinner, Gay Sex, Gen, Italian Character(s), Littles, M/M, Pacifiers, Pasta, Spencer Reid Needs a Hug, ouchies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28094982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RDJWINCHESTER1/pseuds/RDJWINCHESTER1
Summary: Rossi makes dinner for his Little family. Which is always an event in and of itself.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Derek Morgan, Aaron Hotchner & Emily Prentiss, Aaron Hotchner & Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Aaron Hotchner & Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner/David Rossi, David Rossi & Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Derek Morgan & David Rossi, Emily Prentiss & David Rossi, Penelope Garcia & Aaron Hotchner, Penelope Garcia & David Rossi, Spencer Reid & David Rossi
Kudos: 25





	Dinner Time Is Nice No Matter What Age

**Author's Note:**

> Rossi - Papa
> 
> Daddy - Daddy
> 
> Penelope - 6
> 
> Derek - 5
> 
> JJ - 5
> 
> Emily - 4
> 
> Reid - 2 1/2

Rossi expected to have a nice dinner, not that this wasn’t nice, but he was just expecting to have dinner with adults, not his kids. 

Reid had dropped in the car with Hotch because he was sleepy. JJ and Emily dropped in the car with Rossi because Emily had been stressed lately with all the cases and JJ had not been far behind her 4 year old sister. And by time they got home and changed into their play clothes, Penelope had dropped as well. Derek was the only other adult besides Rossi and Hotch. 

Well….

A squeal clued Rossi in to that Derek was now his rambunctious 5 year old boy as his 6 year old sister flung a cooked but cooled spaghetti strang at Derek, who squeal and squirmed around in his seat.

“Ok, careful,” Rossi was quick to stop stirring the scallops with a wooden spoon to go around the bar counter and steady Derek’s chair as it wobbled. He smiled down as Derek smiled up at him as he sat on his knees on the chair. 

“Penny threw a noodle at me Papa,” Derek giggled as he tried to shove the noodle into his mouth with his fingers. 

“I know,” Rossi gave a mock hard look at Penelope who just doubled over the counter in giggles. “How about we go get you changed big guy?” With Derek’s enthusiastic nod he picked him off of the chair and set him down. Rossi turned off the stove before they went down the hallway together and to the second bedroom on the right. “And no more rogue noodles,” he called back down the hallway to the kids who all giggled in response. 

After Derek was changed into his play clothes, Rossi went back out to the kitchen just as Hotch came out of the master bedroom in his non-work clothes. Rossi liked the look of a pair of loose dark blue jeans with an old and stained grey t-shirt that had FBI BAU in bold black letters across the chest. It was a gift from JJ to her Daddy last Christmas and Hotch loved wearing it. It was comfortable. And Rossi liked the look of Aaron in comfy clothes with a smile on his face. It was something he didn’t get to see at work. No one got to feel that way at their job. 

Aaron smiled at Derek and Rossi as he came out of the bedroom. Derek noticed his Daddy right away and ran over to give him a hug. “Hi Daddy!”

“Hi sweetheart,” Aaron grinned down at the boy and hugged him back, lifting him off the ground a bit and giving him a kiss on the forehead. After setting him down, Derek ran off to his sisters who had pulled out every single toy they had in the living room. 

"Hi.”

Rossi looked up at his partner with a smile. “Hi, you look comfy.” 

Aaron looked down at his clothes and smoothed out his shirt. He was a senior detective and had seen hell, yet David still had the ability to make the man blush. “Thanks. I feel comfy,” Rossi hummed and gave Hotch a look before giving him a light kiss on the lips. “I’m not gay.”

“Neither am I,” Rossi smiled just as Reid let out an angry cry. 

Both men sighed and went out to the living room where Hotch went to the kids and Rossi went back to dinner. 

Rossi turned the stove back on, noticing that the scallops were near done and ready to be put in the red sauce and meatballs. Rossi cut the meatballs in half so the kids could eat them easier as he watched Hotch deal with the kids. 

“What’s goin’ on?” Hotch went over to the group of 5 kids and knelt down on his bare heels. 

“Mine,” Reid pouted as he crawled in between his Daddy’s knees. He pointed to the plane that was in Emily’s hands. 

“Nu huh! I was playing with it first,” Emily cried loudly as she turned her back on the duo and started to play again. 

“Emily had it first,” JJ said as she looked very serious and gave a nod to confirm it. She was dressing up a naked doll in a blue sparkly dress. It had one pink shoe on and a crown that was definitely too big for the doll. Hotch had a passing thought that the crown fit one of the bigger dolls that were in the kid’s playroom. 

Hotch looked down at his 2 ½ year old and ran his fingers through Reid’s light brown hair. “Well Emily was playing with it and we don’t take things from others. We have to share. How about we go help Papa with dinner, hmm?” Hotch didn’t wait for a response as he stood up and picked Reid in his hip, happy that Reid was on the lighter side. 

“Daddy can I help?!” Derek asked in excitement, seeing as dolls weren’t really his style. 

“Me too!” JJ said already on her feet. 

“Me!”

“Me too!” 

Hotch looked in surprise as all of the kids stood up and started jumping in happiness. 

Rossi, who had been watching everything from the kitchen, laughed. He knew the kids would want to help at some point, they always did. He had set out medium slices of french bread with softened butter in 2 plastic bowls along with 2 little bowls of Italian spices and a baking sheet with aluminum foil on it which had a tiny bot on olive oil on it to keep things from sticking. 

“Come here!” he called as he placed everything on the table so the kids could reach everything. 

The kids ran over and hopped up on their respective chairs. All chatting about what they wanted to do even though they didn’t know what they were doing. JJ was practically shouting, always wanting to be in charge even though she was only 5.

“JJ shhh!” Rossi said over all the voices as he pulled Emily’s fingers away from the butter. “JJ and Derek will butter the bread. Emily will put the spices on. When they are all on the sheet Penelope  _ with _ Papa’s help with putting it in the oven,” Rossi looked directly at the oldest when he said that he had to help with the oven. His girl was always over enthusiastic and he didn’t want for her to get hurt. 

Everyone got to work with everyone talking all at once. It was chaos but the parents were used to it by now and left the kids to do their own thing with a careful eye over them of course. 

“What about me Papa?” Reid asked in a tiny voice still from Hotch’s arms. 

“You,” Rossi took Reid from Hotch. “My little Bambino will help me wash the berries.” 

Berries could be eaten on the side or if you were a  _ true _ Italian like Rossi, he liked to put them on top of his pasta. It had a hint of sweetness that paired well with the tangy red sauce and a flavorful white wine. 

But tonight with the kids Rossi didn’t want to chance one of them getting a hold of the glassware or the alcoholic drink. Shattered glass and a drunk 4 year old JJ wasn’t a thing neither parent wanted to repeat. 

Maybe when the kids went to bed. 

“Daddy! Papa! We’re done!” 

Hotch and Rossi looked over from the sink and the wooden stool Reid was kneeling on so he was “tall enough” to wash his hands and the raspberries and blackberries. 

Penelope had the tray of garlic bread precariously on her flat palms. The rest of the kids were covered in butter and from the looks of it, Derek had tried the spices. 

Hotch was quick to go grab the tray and then have Penelope open the oven door so he could put it in. Penelope cheered afterwards, happy to be of help. Which of course caused Derek, JJ and Emily, to whine saying that they had helped too. 

Hotch had been quick to put the noise to end as he herded the kids to the bathroom to wash dirty hands as Rossi finished with Reid. 

“D’dinner time! D’dinner time!” Reid sang out so Daddy and his siblings could hear him because...well it was dinner time. Duh. 

The kids rushed out as Rossi plated everything and he waited for them to be fully seated and not on their knees Derek. Hotch strapped Reid in his booster seat and then came over to help distribute plastic plates to kids. 

Rossi put more berries on Reid’s plate as Hotch came over. Hotch grinned behind Rossi as he snuck up behind him and surprised him with a kiss on the cheek. 

Rossi went to hand Hotch JJ’s plate when Hotch surprised him. “What was that for?” Rossi asked. 

“What?” Hotch gave him a confused look before grabbing JJ’s plate along with Penelope’s and delivering it to the kids. 

Rossi glared at the back of Hotch’s head as he grabbed his own plate along with Reid’s who was sitting next to him. He left Hotch to get his own. The brat. 

Reid bounced in eagerness when he saw his Papa coming with food. He had been sucking on his fingers but food tastes way better. He let out a displeased whine and kicked his legs when he had to watch Papa cut up his pasta and meatballs in little pieces.  _ He was a big boy! He could eat like one! _

Rossi scooped up a couple noodles on the child safe fork and fed it to his baby. Reid had a tendency to be too eager to eat and would choke if he fed himself the first couple of bites. “Careful Bambino,” he cooed when Reid let out a small cough. “You good?” he asked and when Reid nodded with sauce already all over his face, Rossi put the plate in front so he could feed himself now that he was calmer. 

Hotch got his own plate of spaghetti and took a seat at the other end of the table. Penelope was to his right with Derek to his left. It was less chaotic to split those two up as well as the twin girls. As the man took a bite of the delicious food, he watched and listened to the sounds surrounding the dinner table. 

Penelope giggled with JJ and Emily was watching them with a bright smile. Hotch caught the words Dottie (from the show Doctor Mcstuffins) and then the word farts. Hotch grinned at the ridiculousness of his girls as he noticed movement from his oldest boy. Derek was making funny faces at Reid over Emily’s shoulder. Reid was giggling at his older brother while trying to shove a “handful” of noodles in his mouth. In reality it was probably only about 8 pieces and only 3 made it in his mouth. There was sauce surrounding his mouth with some even on his forehead. How that happened was beyond Hotch. 

Hotch watched Rossi tell Derek to eat his own food as Derek giggled and speared a half of a meatball and put it all in his mouth all the while leaning halfway out of his chair, on his knees, looking at his Papa with a smile. Reid looked at his Papa when Rossi spoke with his sauce covered fingers in his mouth. Rossi smiled at Reid and brushed the long strands of brown hair out of the way of the sauce. Reid would definitely still need a bath after, but Reid hated his hair in knots and having to have it brushed out. Once all the knots were out he liked it. But it was all about  _ getting _ to that point. 

Rossi took a bite of his own spaghetti with a silly nose scrunch at Reid who snorted in amusement when he felt eyes on him. His eyes sparkled when he noticed Hotch’s eyes on him. Hotch gave a lazy kind of smile that made the right side of his mouth lift up into a smile and ir made Rossi  _ melt _ . 

“Is it good?” Rossi asked as he wiped his hands. 

Hotch nodded and had just opened his mouth to respond when his eyes went wide and he leaped out of his chair to dive to catch Derek before his head hit the hard tiled floor of the dining room. 

“Derek!” Hotch gasped as he caught Derek who looked up at his Daddy with wide eyes before bursting into tears. “Ok, ok,” he cooed and readjusted his grip on his boy. He decided to take the situation to the master bedroom with Rossi following behind after encouraging the rest of the kids to finish eating. 

Hotch sat on the queen bed with Derek in his arms. “Ok, ok. You’re ok.” He knew the boy was crying more from the shock of the fall seeing as he hadn’t hit his head or was in any pain. He gave the boy a moment to calm down as Rossi sat next to him. 

Derek sniffed into his Daddy’s soft shirt and wiped his nose before peeking a brown eye at his Papa. Papa was smiling at him, so it must all be ok now. I mean not that he was scared cause he was a big boy, but if Papa was smiling it means that it’s safe for Derek to stop hiding.  _ Not that he was hiding.  _

“Hi ragazzone,” Papa cooed and brushed a tear away with his thumb. 

“Hi Papa,” Derek whispered back. 

“Are you feeling better?” Papa asked with a smile as Daddy rubbed Derek’s back in a soothing manner. Derek nodded and sat up on Daddy’s lap. He held out his arms so he could get cuddles from his Papa as well. Cuddles are  _ VERY _ important. 

After cuddles were handed out, Hotch Picked up Derek so the trio could head back out to the dining room. 

Rossi wasn’t looking forward to what the table, and kids, looked like without adult supervision, but was surprised when he saw JJ loading the dishwasher and Penelope wiping down the counters as it looked like she had already gotten the table clean. 

“What’s going on here?” Hotch asked with a smile as Emily and Reid were playing in the living room with a superman cape. 

“I kind of got shocked out of it,” Penelope said with a small smile. Shock of her boyfriend as a 5 year old falling shocked her out of it so she had helped the kids finish eating and JJ had aged up to help clean up but went to play with Emily and Reid as Penelope was talking to Daddy and Papa. 

“Thanks princess,” Hotch gave Penelope a kiss on the forehead as he sat Derek down so he could run off to the living room. “I’m going to bath the kids, do you want to try aging down with Papa while I do that?” he felt bad that the shock his girl had gotten. 

Rossi smiled when Penelope gave her own shy smile and a little nodded. He loved his bright girl whether she was 28 or 4.

Hotch smiled one more time before going to collect the kids for bathtime. Emily and JJ went first with Derek by himself. He was always a little bit too enthusiastic when baths tended to make Reid a sleepy little boy. 

When the senior detective came back with a bath warm and sleepy Reid with brushed hair and a red pacifier, everyone was curled up on the couch watching an episode of paw patrol. 

JJ had dropped in the bath with Emily as JJ stayed big the rest of the night. She must have gone to sleep already, Hotch thought as he didn’t see her on the couch. 

And as Hotch could see that the episode had about 10 minutes left as he sat Reid on Rossi’s lap and picked up Emily to put in his own lap. He could hear Reid telling his Papa about what toy he had played with in the bath in a quiet  _ ‘I’m two seconds from falling asleep’ _ voice behind his pacifier. Then Rossi’s deeper voice agreeing with his boy. 

In a typical routine, Rossi took Reid to bed in his arms after the end of the episode while Hotch took Emily. With JJ big, Derek and Penelope simply followed behind their Daddy with tired shuffling of feet. 

5 more minutes of an unfinished book, all the kids were asleep with Hotch and Rossi in their own bedroom. 

Hotch was stripping down to his boxers while Rossi took off all the extra pillows that they didn’t sleep with. “Sorry that you got kids instead of an Italian cooking class with detectives for an undercover mission.”

Rossi let out a light chuckle as he climbed into bed. “It’s ok. I love my kids as much as you do.” He knew that Hotch wasn’t apologizing for the kids ruining anything, just that there had been a point to the entire night...which didn’t happen. “Dinner is good no matter what age.”

Hotch smiled with a hum of acknowledgement as he leaned over to kiss his partner. “True.”

Rossi smiled into the kiss. “I love you.”

“Also true,” Hotch turned the side lamp off. 

In the dark with only the light of the covered window, Rossi reached out to kiss his love one more time. 

“I’m not gay,” Hotch murmured. 

“False,” Rossi said as he laid down and with a sigh. 

It had been a good dinner and night. 

No matter what age.

**Author's Note:**

> Bambino - Baby Boy - Italian 
> 
> Ragazzone - Big Boy - Italian


End file.
